


Ticking Time Bomb

by NightshadeDawn



Series: The Hostesses [5]
Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 03:25:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14559804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightshadeDawn/pseuds/NightshadeDawn
Summary: One would think that being surrounded by six beautiful girls would definitely boast a guy's ego, and he was sure to be with at least ONE of them. But for Mickey Louster, that wasn't exactly the case. Mickey is good with his hands, they help him stop thinking for a while. But sometimes, he's got to think to go on.





	Ticking Time Bomb

        It was hot. So hot. 

        It was too hot to breath. My body was burning. I could swear I could see Aunt Rachel in the distance, but I knew that was just a mirage. The heat getting to my head. She was states away. So were the visions of Mom and Dad. 

        I pulled myself up onto my hands and knees. Johnny and Alise were collapsed on the ground not too far away. We'd run out of water just a shot while ago. Yesterday. Last week. In this heat, I couldn't remember when it had been.

        The red car we'd come in stood not too far away. Out of gas.

        I struggled to pull myself to my feet. My legs were wobbly from the lack of hydration and movement.

        "C-Come on, guys," I said, struggling to talk through my parched throat. "We've got to keep moving."

        "Can't... go... on..." Alise said in her small voice. She pulled herself into a ball. She shivered as if cold, but her fair skin was burned baldy beyond both mine and Johnny's. 

        I walked over to her, the blood rushing back to my legs with each step and making me dizzy. I finally reached the eleven year old and pulled her to her feet. Then I pulled her brother to his feet. 

        "We're not going to get anywhere by just sitting here," I told them firmly. "We'll die of dehydration if starvation doesn't get to us first. So we have to head out now to look for water."

        Johnny and Alise both nodded weakly and I turned to the opposite distance from which we had come. Going back was certain death, but leading them forward might have been suicide just as much. I took a deep breath and licked my lips before I began walking forward with a certain step. 

        If I was leading my friends to their deaths, at least I couldn't regret trying to save their lives. 

        Being surround by just miles and miles of sand and clear blue sky, day after day, was hard. With no safe haven or oasis around, we truly thought we were going to die some days. 

        After a while, we'd learned to travel by night, when we could pile on layers to keep out the cold. 

        Three more days passed before we found an oasis to replenish our supplies. A week after leaving that we were still trapped in the hot desert. From being so long in the sun, we all no longer looked like ourselves. Our skin had gone so dark, we looked like completely different people. Had Alise's hair not been red, we would most definitely fit in with the locals in the place we were running from.

        I pushed forward another step before I fell to my knees. 

        "Mickey!" Alise shouted from behind with Johnny. She'd injured he leg a while back, and usually had to have one of us support her.

        I grimaced at the pain in my stomach. We were starving. Not a full meal of anything nutritious, or non- nutritious either to be fair, for a long while. But I wasn't the only one who felt like this. The others did too. I pulled myself to my feet.

        "I'm fine," I grumbled, my stomach no longer able to groan from hunger.

        I pulled my backpack over my shoulder securely once again and looked back at them. 

        "Come on," I said, smiling a bit. "Just a bit further before daybreak." The siblings looked at each other quickly before turning back to me and nodding. 

        We continued on, and I took the burden of carrying Alise from Johnny for a while. Then, there was a loud roar in the distance. Distinctly familiar, but unrecognizable.

        "Does anyone else hear that?" Johnny asked. "Please tell me I'm not going crazy from this place."

        I shook my head. "No, I hear it too," I said, tilting my head. Then, a bright dot formed in the night. It drew closer and closer. My jaw dropped open when I could finally make out the shape.

        "It's a car!" I exclaimed. And it was headed straight for us.

        Until it turned.

        "Hey!" I shouted. "Hey, over here!"

        "Do you think that's smart?" Alise asked timidly. "I mean, what if they're bad people...?"

        "What does it matter?" Johnny asked, waving his arms about as well. "We're getting out of here!"

        "Here, take Alise," I ordered Johnny. "I'm running down that car."

        Johnny took his little sister and I began sprinting after the car. I ran as fast as my exhausted legs could carry me, then I forced them farther. I had to go on. We couldn't live much longer in this place.

        I finally caught the driver's view and he stopped. 

        " **Hey, little man** ," he said in the native language, leaning against the door. " **What are you doing all the way out here?** "

        I was breathing hard, leaning forward and gripping my knees. " **Please** ," I replied in his language. " **My friends- we've been out here for weeks. We need help.** "

        The man looked up to behind me and I turned. Alise and Johnny were hobbling towards us. 

        The man hopped out of the jeep and ran towards the two. He easily picked Alise up off the ground. " **Hop in** ," he told me and Johnny. " **We'll be in town by daybreak**."

       Johnny and I climbed into the backseat with Alise. The man smiled at us through the mirror and stated the car. I sank into the seat and sighed as I felt the thrum of the engine vibrating the whole car. 

        The car turned and shot back the way it had come. A feeling of relief and peace washed over me. Something I hadn't felt in a long time. I sat back into the seat and closed my eyes. 

        Before I knew it, my breathing had slowed and I fell asleep.

        When I awoke, it was because of the sun getting in my eyes. I groaned in my half awake state and slapped at the light, as if it was someone who had turned on the bedroom light.

        Then I blinked open my eyes groggily to find myself laying on an extremely comfortable pillow. I sat up and yawned as I stretched. I looked over and realized that my pillow had been Alise's lap. I turned pink in the ears as I turned away. 

        Yikes.

        After getting myself under control, I turned back to Alise. She smiled happily at me. "We're almost there," she said. "You can even see it in the distance."

        I turned and indeed I could. I could see a town that, thankfully, didn't look a thing like the place we'd come from. The rising sun cast a golden glow over everything, giving it an almost hopeful appearance. But I knew better than to think that. 

        Johnny slept on the floor of the car, drooling, until we'd made it into town.

        " **Come with me** ," the man said as he parked the car in front of his dwelling. " **I'll get your leg all fixed up, little miss**."

        I got out of the car first and the man took Alise out, holding her as if she were a baby. Alise squeaked at this. The man chuckled as I reached and shook Johnny awake.

        "Dude, wake up," I said. 

        "Ten more minutes..." Johnny said sleepily, batting awake my hand. Groaning, I took his shirt collar and pulled him out of the car with difficulty. He landed on the ground with a thump then darted onto his feet, wide awake. "Woah, woah, I'm awake!" he shouted. 

        I sighed and took his collar again, dragging him on after the man.

        "H-Hey, Mickster, Mickey, my man! Youch! Dude, let go!" he said, struggling to get free.

        "Then keep up," I told him. We walked into the dwelling and immediately bumped into the man. He stood frozen just in his doorway. " **Hey, what's wrong?** " I asked, looking around him.

        I paled at what is was.

        A man, with graying, light brown hair in a black business suit and sunglasses sat in the chair directly across from the door. His hair was slicked back, and he had a glass of some bright yellow liquid in it.

        " **Who are you?!** " the man shouted. " **Why are you in my home?!** "

        " **Calm down** ," the man said, putting down his drink and standing. He pulled his sunglasses off his face and snapped them shut before placing them in his pocket. " **You need not worry about anything. I'm not here for you or your sisters. I'm here for one person only: that young man behind you. Micheal Louster**."

        I stepped out from behind the man who helped us as glared at the other. " **Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want with me**?" I snapped. I could feel Alise's hand reach down and grip my green shirt tightly.

        The man in front of me chuckled. "Settle down, young man," he said, surprising me by switching languages. "I am from an American organization called ACCA."

        America...

        Aunt Rachel. Home.

        I shook my head. Then I glared at him once again. "And what does that have to do with me?" I probed. 

        The man smirked. "Well, that is an interesting question, isn't it?" the man asked, going over to a shelf and picking up a book. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man behind me cringe. But the American just simply put the book back. Then he put his hand on his chin. "America is your home, is it not? Do you not wish to return to the country you originate from?"

        "Of course I do," I growled. "I'm still not seeing your point."

        This time, the man laughed out loud. "Oh, Micheal, Micheal," he said, coming to stand in front of me. "I'm offering you a ticket home."

        I stood firm and didn't let my emotions show. Something felt off about him, dangerous. I could feel my bones shaking in fear.

        "That isn't everything though, is it?" I asked quietly.

        The man looked to be strained in saying it, but I could tell by his grey, almost black, eyes he wasn't. "Well, yes, there is a catch," he said. "ACCA. We are offering you a chance to go home, as long as you join us."

        "What is ACCA?" I questioned. "I've never heard of it before."

        "Of course not," the man said. He sat back in the seat and finished off his drink. "It's rare that low class people such as yourself would."

        Low class? He had me fuming.

        "Of course, we have eyes everywhere. We know all about you. We've been watching you for a very long time, Micheal," he said. 

        I growled lowly. "Apparently not good enough, then," I snapped. "Then you'd know that I never go by that name."

        The man chuckled. "Of course you don't," he said. "Just expressing formalities. So, what do you say?"

        "You still haven't answered my question," I stated.

        The man sighed finally. Then he leaned forward onto his legs. "A world class education. Math, science, language, history. All of those regular classes. Then many extracurricular classes as well. Music, art, karate, tikwando, fencing, shooting. And many different languages to learn. Spanish, Latin, German, Japanese, Chinese. I would say Egyptian, but I gather you already know that, don't you? Only those specifically chosen are admitted."

        "So it's a school?" I asked in surprise. 

        The man shook his head. "Hmm, yes and no," he said. "You are being trained for a specific purpose."

        "What purpose?" I asked, now truly intrigued. 

        The mean smiled, seeing my curiosity. "First, do we have a deal?" he asked. "A chance to go home, for a world class education? Truly, it's a win-win deal for you."

        I bit my lip and looked back at Alise and Johnny, then back at the man. "Only if Johnny and Alise get to go home with me," I said. "If you agree to that, then I'll go."

        The man looked momentarily startled, then regained his posture. "It's a deal then," he said.

        "So..." Alise said in her quiet voice. "What are going to be trained for?"

        The man smirked. "Fight, sneaking, stealing, protecting, disarming," he said. "Why, you've just become the newest members of the, essentially, teen spy organization."

        And that was how my new life began.

        The man who had come to collect us was called Abraham Jones. He wasn't the head, but he was very close indeed to the hierarchy at "ACCA". What the heck did it stand for, anyway?

        The other man, the one who had saved us, went by the name Zerah Bisaga. After Abraham left us, a shocked Zerah fixed up Alise as he promised. Then he gave us a good, full meal.

        That was when four young girls, the eldest barely Alise's age, if that. The youngest still a baby.

        " **Big brother** ," the oldest girl said. " **Who are these people**?"

        Zerah looked at us as we ate the food. " **They're some people I found out in the desert** ," he said simply. " **They're out guests**." When all of their gazes were turned to us, I could see Zerah breathing a sigh of relief.

        Probably because they were safe.

        " **We didn't expect you back so early, big brother** ," one of the younger ones said, going up to him and tugging on his shirt. She smiled at him happily. " **Welcome home**!"

        " **Thank you, Zelpha** ," Zerah said, kneeling down in front of her and placing his hand on her head. Then he stood and pointed to each of his sisters in acceding order. " **These are my sisters: 'Izevel, Haggith, Zelpha, and 'Ester**."

        " **I'm Mickey** ," I said, introducing myself to the girls. " **And these are my friends, Johnny and Alise**."

        'Izevel came up to me, 'Ester in her arms, and looked into my face intently. 

        " **Good enough** ," she said. Then she put 'Ester in my arms and walked away. Zerah laughed loudly as I stood there, holding the small child awkwardly. " **Dinner! Now**!" she commanded. " **Alise rest, Mickey watch 'Ester. Everyone else, dinner! I will not have guests having a lowly, small meal such as what Zerah is feeding you!** "

        Everyone began rushing about, and while I knew I looked, and felt, extremely awkward holding 'Ester, Johnny looked even worse trying to chop vegetables while getting bossed around by a ten year old while we were both twelve.

        Alise and I went over to the couch. Alise sat on it, elevating her leg while I sat on the ground, entertaining 'Ester.

        'Ester gurgled happily and clapped her hands while I made silly faces.

        "Eeee!" she gurgled. "Hehe!"

        "Blah blah blah," I said, scrunching my face up all weird. 'Ester cooed again and I laughed happily as I picked her up and held up up high. This caused her to squeal happily. "Who's a little cutie? Who's a little cutie? You are, yes you are." I stuck her in my lap and began tickling her belly. 

        " **You're really good with her** ," Zerah said, coming over while mixing something in a bowl and wearing a light brown apron. " **Do you have siblings?** "

        I allowed 'Ester to play with my hands while I smiled at her and shook my head. " **Never** ," I said. " **I always wanted one, but..**." I shrugged. " **Wasn't meant to be**."

        " **Zerah**!" 'Izevel reprimanded. " **Batter! Over here! Now**!" Zerah smiled sheepishly then went over to his little sister and giving her the batter. Then she immediately set him upon his next task.

        That night, from the meal the others had fixed, we feasted like kings. The next morning at dawn, Abraham came knocking at Zerah's door to collect us. The girls were still asleep. 'Ester had fallen asleep in my arms, while the others had piled on top of Johnny, which was hilarious that night. But all heartbreaking this morning.

        Before I got into Abraham's car, Zerah pulled me aside and pressed a piece of paper and a little wooden amulet into my hand.

        " **Take this paper** ," he whispered. " **It's my cell number. If you ever find yourself in Egypt again, or in need of help, call me up. If they try to take it, give them the amulet.** "

        I nodded and slipped both into my jeans. " **Thanks, Zerah** ," I said. He nodded and ruffled my hair, smiling at me.

        " **It was good to meet you, little man** ," he said. Then he looked back to his home. " **I think 'Ester's going to be heartbroken when she wakes up**." I tilted my head and he laughed. " **I'm pretty sure she fell in love**."

        I chuckled sadly and waved at him and followed the others into the car.

        Abraham sat in the passenger seat while another younger man drove it. All three of us sat in the car, pondering our new fate. What would happen to us now?

        I watched through the window as we were driven to the airport. Then finally boarding the private plane. This was just the beginning.


End file.
